In a changing world access to equal opportunities is becoming ever more important. In the workplace and in education this is expected, so why not in action sports too?
For many action sports enthusiasts (in sports such as surfing, wakeboarding, climbing, skiing/snowboarding and skating/BMX) reaching national
competition is a main goal. Not surprisingly, people want to challenge themselves to go further, reach new heights in their sport and be amongst the best.
So where do people with disabilities fit in? Well, at the moment it’s difficult to see exactly where we fit in, but as I said before, the world is changing and people are beginning to expect more, not only in the workplace and education but from their leisure experiences as well. People with disabilities want to achieve the same goals that those without disabilities want to achieve and they are beginning to realise that there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to. This is why it is becoming more important for mainstream action sport organisations to become more inclusive.
Diversity. This is at the core of this blog. When looking for a dictionary definition of the word I found words like ‘different’ and ‘variety’, which is exactly what these organisations need to recognise in people who want to take part in their sport. No longer should they just be focusing on the young, fit and healthy who are obvious candidates for their sport. They need to open up to the wider community of diverse individuals, many of whom have disabilities that should not prohibit them from participating. Let us not forget, though, that we need to support the instructors to work with a variety of disabilities so that these sports can be truly accessible. It is often the people, as much if not more than the equipment, who can make or break the accessibility of a sport with their attitude and openness towards disability and new ideas.
Equal opportunities and diversity go hand in hand, hence the term ‘equality and diversity’. Action
sports organisations can only advertise their commitment to this by showing their support for diversity in their sport, and what better way to do so than by backing events run by disability organisations? Diversity breeds diversity. Backing events such as those that iDID
Adventure holds around the UK shows commitment to disability in sport, or more specifically disability in action sports. This opens up a whole new community of individuals with disabilities who either want to take part in these sports but never realised they could or those who simply never considered the possibility because the opportunity was not there.
Promoting national competitions for people with disabilities in action sports will also lead the change for disability in action sports. Competition is what drives many individuals to become more heavily involved in their sport and the same applies to people with disabilities. Providing
these opportunities for them gives them the extra incentive to get involved and strive to go further.
iDID Adventure is leading this change in the action sport industry. Be the change you wish to see
in the world.
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